United We Stand, Divided We Fall
by ShogunNatarii
Summary: Kuroko no Basuke (Kuroko's Basketball) fanfic. Will be centering around my OC, but mostly characters that already exist will appear. Also note, there will be some Japanese phrases used in the dialogue, but only very basic ones, nothing too complex, and it'll only be romaji. Oh, I forgot. OC x Kagami, Kagami x OC. No yuri/yaoi.
1. This is My Home

Have you ever been to a foreign country? Where the language is not your own? Where the culture does not resemble what you're accustomed to in the slightest? Well, that's me. I've come to Japan for the first time. But, contrary to what you may be thinking right now, this is no mere visit, you see. No, no; this is my home. The country of Japan.

The story I am about to tell you will sound like your typical sports manga, but I decided I'm going to relay it to you through my words anyway. It's about me, an ambition, and all the crazy things that happen to me along the way.

Moving on, now; my father was an American marine who died in the heat of combat serving his country. I was thirteen years old when he died. We held the memorial ceremony after the troops came home, and more than a hundred people attended. My mother was never the same after that, and her happiness and health slowly began to decline. In her final days she was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer, and a year later, almost to the day my father died, my mother passed away. They had both left me, and so I was alone.

For approximately another year, I lived with various family members. Once for about seven months with an uncle and aunt who lived in Canada. They were nice people, but I always felt out of place and unsure of myself. Then for four months after that, I lived with another aunt and uncle and cousin in Tennessee. Those were the worst four months of my life. My cousin is a crazy drama queen, and I hate people like that. They irk me so much. But that's getting off topic.

One day, some lawyer from my hometown had called me about my parents' will. That was weird, because the wills had been read at each of their funerals. Apparently, however, after they both pass away, access is given to their lawyer so that he can view a joint will; a plan-B type of will that was created in the circumstance that they had both died before I was married. And since they had, about a year ago, when my mother passed on, everything went off like a chain reaction. My information was sent to an adoption agency along with phone numbers and such so that I could be adopted by a good, loving family and/or guardian. As it turned out, the agency was international, meaning I could be adopted by anyone who had the means and background to take care of me. He called to inform me that my information had been available in this manner, and that there had finally been someone who fit the necessary requirements. He was a fortysomething-year-old called Ryūsuke Ōshisama who lived in Tokyo, Japan. Once the legal papers had been processed and confirmed, I was shipped off to Japan. Luckily for me I could speak a good amount of Japanese already, so it wouldn't be too difficult for me to communicate with people when I arrived.

After I escaped the plane with minimal air sickness, I quickly went to baggage claim and grabbed my stuff, and then I tried to find my way out, which proved difficult. When I finally did, though, then came the real hard part; hailing a taxicab. People came in and out of taxis as if their lives depended on it. And I suppose my life _did_ depend on it; if I didn't get one, I'd be stuck here for a long while. Try, after try, after one more try, I called out, "Takushi, kudasai!" When I reached the 15th try, rightabouts, a taxicab stopped very abruptly in front of me, and the trunk flew open. Almost by an instinct I threw all my bags into it, slammed it shut, and slid into the backseat of the cab, and the cabby quickly put his foot down on the gas. When we were clear of the airport, he asked me something in Japanese that I didn't completely understand, but he obviously needed to know where to take me, so I got a piece of paper from the one bag I kept with me, pointed to the address and said, "Koko, kudasai." He looked from it to his GPS screen as he input the address and so we were set.

As the cabby and I parted ways, I waved goodbye to him, and, with my bags firmly grasped, I turned to face a new enemy; that is, a fifty-story apartment building. This is definitely where Mr. Ōshisama lived, but alas, only just then did I realize I didn't have his apartment number. Sigh… Well, it was about time for another Japanese test, anyway. I marched into the lobby (where there were more people than I was expecting) and waited in the line to get a hold of the receptionist lady, so I could ask her in which apartment my adoptive guardian lived.

"Kyō wa," I said in my best accent to her when it was my turn.

"Kyō wa," she replied to me in her native accent, smiling. Then she asked me how she could help me, and I told her I needed the room number of a man called Ōshisama-san. She typed out something on her computer and told me there were two people living in the building who had that last name, so she asked for a given name.

"Ryūsuke, onegaishimasu," I replied as politely as I could. Then she handed me a little cutout with the room number on it and told me to come back for a room key if he wasn't home. "Arigatogozaimash'ta," I said, and made a small wave to her. "Ja na."

"Ja," she said, as she turned to tend to the next customer.

I looked down at the cutout she gave me. In raised, shiny, rose gold letters, it said "Rumu 3057, 30th rebaru" using katakana for the Japanizations. _Thirtieth level… that's a high ways up_, I thought. Even by the elevator, it took forever to get up there. When I arrived at the thirtieth floor, no one was in the hallways, however wide they were. Everything in this apartment building was so fancy! It was like a hotel, almost. And in hotels, the higher up you go the bigger the rooms get… does that mean Mr. Ōshisama is a rich man? Whoa, nobody told me that!

As I walked toward the end of the hallway where 3057 was, someone came out of 3028. By instinct I turned my head to look at the person, but right then, I wished I hadn't. He was a tall, nice-looking boy, and when he made eye contact with me he smiled, and my stomach felt funny. I decided not to be stoic, and I smiled back, and then I turned my head away and walked a little faster. I would've died if he had said something to me! Having been homeschooled for most of my life, I'm not good with people my own age.

There was this little stone plaque with "3057" etched into it beside the door. This was it. The doors were two, enormous, glossy, traditional-style doors that were stained almost a black color. The handles were brass, and also served as knockers, so I used one to knock on the door. I straightened myself, pulled up my jeans, pulled down my shirt, and put my shoulders back. I had no idea what to expect, as I had never seen his picture, but I braced myself because I knew I would be an awkward wreck around him.

I held my breath and had a staring contest with the door as I waited. Seconds went by; then a minute; then two… what is this suspense? I hate suspense! It was completely silent for a while, except for the sound of a clock ticking. Pure and utter silence. Just when I reached up my hand to knock again, the lock began to jiggle and the door creaked as it opened, just enough so that whoever was standing behind the door could see me. "Hai?" he said. His voice was more deep and masculine sounding than I expected, I suppose, if I actually expected anything.

"Ōshisama Ryūsuke-san?" I asked, tilting my head to the left somewhat so I could see a little more of his face. He used his middle finger to push his glasses further up onto his nose.

"Oh yes, yes," he said in English, opening the door more so I could enter. "Prease, come in."


	2. You're All Basketball-Heads!

**Author's Note:** Yay, revised Chapter 2! Same title. And it's longer, too! :D I feel proud of myself. Anyway, I hope you enjoy! Three new OC's introduced. They may or may not have importance to the story. We'll see.

My adoptive guardian, Ōshisama Ryūsuke, had me sit down on the floor at a low table as he scuffled around the kitchen, preparing me some tea. He was kind of tall, about five feet, ten inches, his black hair was graying, and he had grey stubble on his chin, but he wasn't that wrinkled, and he was muscular, so he didn't actually look that old. His apartment, though, did impress me. The interior lived above and beyond the front doors, anyway. All the doors were sliding, like in traditional Japanese houses, and all the rooms—kitchen, living room, dining room—were quite big. There was a balcony with a gas grill and two guest rooms in addition to the master bedroom as well. Most impressive.

When he brought me a little mug with tea in it, I was looking up at the high ceilings, and he asked me if I wanted milk in it. I turned my head to him sharply, said yes, and then he tipped a small teapot forward, milk spilling out of the spout. I took a spoon and stirred my tea up with it, and then I took a sip. Green tea with milk is so relaxing, and after what I went through with the planes and the airport and the 50-story building, I thought I kind of deserved to relax a bit. After he served himself a mug of plain green tea, he sat down at the table with me and we talked for a bit. I shared what had happened in my life, and he talked about himself a bit, and eventually I wasn't so nervous anymore. I could smile and laugh and be mostly comfortable. Though, living in the same house with him every day would become a bit difficult, I knew.

When we were finished talking, he stood up, took both my mug and his, placed them in the sink, and then showed me to a room toward the back of his house. It was one of the guest rooms, and it was very spacious. It wasn't decorated much, and the bed sheets were plain white sheets; they would do, I suppose, but then Mr. Ōshisama said unexpectedly: "If you pran everysing out, we can redecorate se room whatever you want." That kind of shocked me. So he _was_ rich, then.

"Oh, uh, but, do you have money for that?" I asked.

"I have money prenty," he said.

"Oh, well, Ōshisama-san, I can't accept that," I said, trying to decline politely. I didn't need my room decorated, but he was very willingly putting out his money like that for me. I wondered why.

"Onegaishimasu, Natari-chan," he pleaded. "I want you to feer rike sis your home." I smiled when he said that, and I walked over to him with intentions to hug him, but that would be overstepping my boundaries, so instead I bowed slightly from the waist and thanked him as genuinely as I could.

Afterwards, I unpacked my electronics first, and connected them to the household wi-fi. Don't judge me; I'm fairly certain I am not the only girl who loves checking her Facebook and Twitter accounts. After that, I put my clothes away, and some other personal items; some of my old notebooks and knickknacks and keepsakes would soon arrive in the mail. I threw lots and lots of crazy junk I had when I started moving around from relatives' houses often.

I didn't sleep very much that night, or very well, when I did. The following morning, I woke up strangely refreshed, and I went to go take a shower. When I finished, I fixed my curls, threw on dark jeans and a T-shirt, and then I looked at an electric clock in my room. 9:37, it told me. Sigh. Then, I heard footsteps and clambering about in the kitchen. It was obviously Ōshisama-san, but I went to investigate anyway. "Ohayogozaimasu," I said as I walked into the room.

"Ohayo," he replied. He was boiling water for morning tea and making toast for sweet red bean jelly and frying eggs. It smelled really good in there. I slumped down at the table and food was placed in front of me; I ate slowly and savored my tea as I sipped it. It made me feel warm, and it also made me want to go back to sleep. Then, Ōshisama-san sat down at the short table with his food, and announced we had a legal appointment today, that would likely take all day. Greeeeeaat. My relaxed mood now gone, I finished my food and downed my tea quickly, and then put my dishes away. He continued by saying that it was just to confirm adoption papers and whatnot, and he promised to take me out to lunch afterward for my trouble. I tried to decline politely—he didn't need to, nor should he, spend so much money on me—but again, he would hear nothing of it. Then he told me to make sure I was ready because we were going to leave in ten minutes. Grudgingly, I went to my room, swiped a jacket and my iPod, and then waited for him at the door.

So, the legal thing wasn't so bad. The guy was nice, and he was helpful about everything; he even served us coffee and things. But, really, my smiles were only for good appearances. I didn't like socializing with people I didn't know that well. That did, sort of, go for Ōshisama-san also, but I hadn't had a chance to know him yet. After we finished, he took me out to a really casual, but amazing, sushi place, and to top that, it had boba tea, so I was happy. But still, it was only about 13:30 (that's 1:30 for the Americans) when we were finished. That didn't take all day.

But were we done?

No! Of course not!

Next, we had to stop by the high school that Ōshisama-san had chosen for me. I didn't mind that he chose my high school, really. He must know that it's a good school for him to even have considered it at all. It was Called Seirin High School. It was a pretty new, pretty normal high school. Nothing too special, but nothing too dull either, according to Ōshisama-san's colorful choice of words. The reason we had to stop by was so I could receive my schedule, uniform and English/Japanese textbooks and confirm my enrollment. School had already started a month before, so at least I wouldn't be too behind everyone else.

The principal of Seirin was sort of edgy, and he didn't seem to like me very much. Was I the first foreign student enrolled here? I wondered. Maybe I am. The school's probably too new to have much foreign interest. It made me feel unique, I suppose, but also out of place. Would I be ridiculed? Admired? Would I even make friends? Sigh…

So, as it turned out, I actually fit into the uniform that was given to me! I totally expected to have to get, like, super big sizes since, statistically, Japanese people are a bit smaller than most American people. The principal thanked us for coming, and when he shook my hand, he smiled at me and said in Japanese, "I hope you'll enjoy coming to Seirin."

I bowed to him and said, "Arigatougozaimash'ta!"

When we arrived back at our apartment, I kicked off my shoes at the front door, flopped on the couch and sipped my boba tea (with fruit jellies instead of actual boba pearls). As I munched on chewy bits, Ōshisama-san pointed to my backpack that had all my new textbooks in them and said, "You should rebiew sose. You'rr be starting rate, you know."

"Hai, hai," I said. I looked over at the pack, and munched on more jellies. Slowly, I dragged it, and myself, to my room, set my cup of tea down and threw the backpack onto my plain, white bed. Dang, it was heavy. Upon unzipping it, I found seven textbooks. Math, Japanese History, Japanese Literature, Social Studies, Science, Handwriting and… English? Well… English is mandatory here… but I'm American, so it won't be too hard, I suppose.

I lay down on my bed and skimmed each book. Eh, pretty normal stuff I suppose, but my books were slightly thicker, and had much smaller print, than the standard versions because it had Japanese and English text. I liked that, since it would help me learn kanji more. Gosh, I hate learning kanji…

Soon, I became bored with those, and decided to put on my school uniform, so I could see how I looked in it. As I turned from side to side, looking at how the clothes complimented my body type, I realized I didn't look so bad. The skirt was a little short though… well, it was _really_ short. _Can I wear shorts underneath? _I wondered. _I don't see why not._

It was Saturday that day. The next day is Sunday; my last school-free day in Japan so far. I wondered if school here was anything like school in America. (Or was it like anime and manga?) I hadn't attended any public schools before, but I suppose the Japanese education system can't really be that much different from the American one. I looked at my clipboard schedule. _I have a lot of classes_, I thought, deadpanning. I had classes belonging to each textbook, plus Homeroom and a diction class. That's nine different classes. And on top of all that, I'm required to join at least one or two clubs for extracurricular activities. How do Japanese people do all this in one day? Anyway, I was just glad P.E. was optional. When I lifted the page, there was a page underneath it, and a few more pages underneath that, and they listed all the clubs. A lot of them didn't make sense, like Going Home Club, On Top of a Tall Building Club… what does that even mean? I deadpanned again. There were a lot of sports clubs… essentially teams, but whatever. The art club interested me… but maybe I should join the anime/manga club… decisions, decisions… sigh.

Then, at the very bottom of the last page, there was a band club. The band was called Stars and Seashells, and beside it was a big red star that said, "VOCALIST NEEDED!" There was the ticket. I could be in a band. Fantastic!

But little did I know, a lot would change that first day at Seirin…

Monday morning, six hundred twenty eight hours. My alarm went off. The bus arrives at 7:30 and, if we're on schedule, we arrive just before morning assembly that kicks off the school week. I rolled groggily out of bed and slammed on the snooze button. I looked in the mirror. My hair looked as if a tornado had passed through it, so I decided that was the first thing that needed taking care of. When I walked out of the bathroom and into the kitchen with my hair damp from styling it, there was tea already waiting for me, and beside it, a plate of eggs and toast smothered in sweet red bean jelly. There was a standing card beside it that said, "Ganbatte, kudasai!" or "Do your best!" I smiled, ate as much as I could quickly, and then hurriedly rushed outside. As I neared the door, the bus appeared. Just in time! I thought as I stepped onto it.

"Ohayogozaimasu," said the bus driver, who was an older fellow with longish, stringy hair.

"Ohayogozaimash'ta," I replied.

"Namaeha?" he requested.

"Ōshisama Natari desu," I replied. He nodded and motioned with his head that he didn't need anything else, so I went to sit down. Not very many people were on the bus yet, but I chose to sit over the wheel, towards the back. As I expected no one talked to me, and I was awkward and shy, so I didn't try to start a conversation with anyone either.

By the time we reached the school, there were quite a few people on the bus, and some of them were being quite noisy. Turned out we were early, so I found my locker and stuffed my things in there before heading outside for the assembly. Lots of people were there already, talking and talking. I found a mostly barren row and sat down there. I looked around. Everyone seemed happy, and I was glad I could understand a lot of what was said among the students. I still needed to work on my Japanese skills, though.

"Oi," said someone from behind me. I turned to face the person. "Did you drop this?" The first thing I noticed about the person was that he was holding my cellphone in his hand. Then I looked up at his face, and I felt my face heat up. _On the first day? What's wrong with me!?_ He was tall, with red-and-black hair, bushy eyebrows and strong features. Not only that, though, but he was seriously tall. I think he was a foot or so taller than me! He also seemed muscular, not that I could really tell over his uniform.

"Uh, y-yes. Thank you," I replied, taking back my phone. My face was still warm. "Where did you get it?"

"I noticed it fell out of your pocket when you came outside. It slid into the grass," he said. "You're lucky no one stepped on it. You should be more careful."

"Oh, uh, yes, I will. Thank you."

"Yeah, sure." Then he began to walk away. But I had a feeling I would see him around later, so I felt the need to ask his name.

"Wait—" By the time I uttered that, I couldn't find him. How can you lose a six foot tall guy with red hair!? "Baka," I muttered to myself.

After assembly was first period, Math. As it turns out, the classes are all held in one class room, so I just went to my locker again, got my backpack and found my classroom. According to my entrance assessment, I was in class 1-C. Basically that means I'm of average smarts. Gah… maybe that can change.

When I slid the door open and came in, there were some students here and there, but no teacher, and surprisingly, no antics. Mostly there were just giggly schoolgirls and guys who were overall behaved. I looked at the blackboard, and taped to it was the seating chart. My name was scribbled by a square that told me where I needed to sit. That was the second from the front, in the second row from the far right. To my left, behind me, and in front of me, I was surrounded by guys. To my right, there was one girl who, seemingly, was hurrying to finish an incomplete assignment before the teacher walked in. As I sat down and hung my backpack from the back of my seat, from the corner of my eye, I thought I saw her glance my way. I heard the sound of pen on paper stop, and then I heard a feminine voice say, "Kon'nichiwa." I looked up at her. She was kind looking, her face was very smooth, and her hair was virtually flawless.

"Kon'nichiwa," I returned, and I tried to force a smile out of myself. She smiled back. We had a short conversation while she asked me my name and where I was from, and why I was here, and things like that, but as we talked, I felt as if many eyes were digging holes in my head. Were people staring at me?

In the middle of our conversation, though, this guy came up to my new acquaintance whose name was Yukizaki Mia, shouted her name enthusiastically, and asked her who I was. "She's the new foreign student we heard about," she answered, glancing at me with a smile.

This guy looked like some kind of punk. His hair was spiked up, had blonde streaks, and he had several piercings; one in his lip, one on his cheek, and several on his right ear. "Oh, I see. Ohayo!" he said, flailing his arms about excitedly. If you judged him only based on his voice and speech pattern, you wouldn't guess he looked the way he did. He was very happy and cheerful and friendly as he introduced himself to me. He even kissed my hand, like some kind of gentleman. It was kind of sweet, actually.

Then, there was a very sudden, very loud _slam!_ that caused everyone to flinch. It was the math teacher, who had slapped his teacher's textbook onto his desk in order to grab our attention. When did he get there? Then the teacher began to be all monologue-y and he went on for about three minutes before asking the "foreign girl" to introduce herself. That was my cue. I stood and went to the blackboard, took a piece of chalk and wrote my name on the board. It read, "おうしさまナタリー". I'm sure you can figure out how to read it.

"Ohayogozaimash'ta nee!" I greeted, bowing deeply from the waist. "Namae, Ōshisama Natari desu. I'm looking forward to learning with you all."

"Ohayogozaimasu, Ōshisama-chan!" echoed the class back at me.

"Arigatou," said the math teacher as I went back to my seat. I leaned my chin on my hands and yawned. Math is boring, I thought. I just stared at the teacher and did my best to follow along. I was looking forward to after school the most, however. I wanted to check out that band to see if they still needed a vocalist…

Lunch break. "Everything was hard, and all the teachers were all boring. Greeeeeaat. Just my luck! Fate is never good to me!" I said aloud to no one in particular. I bought a big bottle of tea before I shouted to the cafeteria lady, in the most polite Japanese I knew, (because inside the cafeteria, it's very loud) to make me stir-fried beef udon, and I paid a second lady at a register. When I reached the other side of the counter, my food was steamy and hot for me to eat. Just looking at it made me happy. I thanked her for the food and went to sit down. Except… I didn't know where to sit down. And every table was taken. So, I decided to look for Yukizaki. Maybe she would let me sit with her. As I looked over the sea of black and brown, and occasionally blonde, heads, eventually I saw Yukizaki's polished head, and Mitsubishi's spiky head beside hers. I guess they were friends too. "Oi, Yukizaki!" I called. She looked up, and almost snorted a noodle. I smiled and giggled, and she turned red with embarrassment.

"Kyō wa!" said Mitsubishi, turning to look at me when he heard my voice.

"Kyō wa, Mitsubishi-kun," I said. "Do either of you mind if I sit with you?" I asked, trying to be polite.

"Please, go ahead," said Yukizaki very obligingly.

I smiled and sat down, but I could hardly begin to eat before we all erupted into conversation. We were all talking about the boring teachers, and funny stuff that happened, or that someone said or did, nonsense stuff like that. Then, eventually, it skipped to clubs when they realized I had just gotten here, and therefore had not joined a club yet.

"What do you like?" asked Mistubishi, stuffing his face with pocky.

"Lots of stuff," I said. "I like art, manga and anime, writing..." I counted the number of interests I had by putting up fingers.

"There are clubs for them all," said Yukizaki, taking a sip of a canned something. I think it was coffee. "Although, maybe you would want to find a new interest?"

"Well..." I looked down at the list of clubs that I had. "I did want to look into the band club, though. They need a vocalist."

"Ohhh, Ōshisama-chan can sing! Are you good~?" remarked Mitsubishi, his smiling mouth still full of pocky.

"Well, people say that I am," I said shyly, "but I don't know if it's the same if I sing in Japanese."

"You should try!" encouraged Yukizaki. "After classes are finished, I'll come with you. How does that sound?" She smiled at me, and for some reason, right then, I felt very happy.

"Un."

"Yosha~! I'm coming too~!" exclaimed Mitsubishi, thrusting a fist in the air.

After I finished my food and the bell rang, alerting the students to return to their classes, I walked back to 1-C, feeling content with myself. The rest of the day flew by rather quickly, and when the final bell rang after diction class, Yukizaki, Mitsubishi and myself headed to the wing where all the clubrooms were.

"Most of the doors are open," said Mitsubishi, "so people can see what goes on inside. When the school year starts, you have two months to find a club you like and join it. Here, joining a club is mandatory." I nodded to show I understood, and we three walked slowly through the hallways. There were a lot of indoor ball sports practicing in different gymnasium-type rooms, but then there was one room where all the basketball players were, and that's where I saw that tall, red-haired guy from assembly this morning. I slowly decelerated to a complete stop in front of the door, and watched them play from a distance for a moment. They were amazing! Their movements were unlike anything I'd ever seen before. They were really fast, too. "Oi, Ōshisama-chan," said my spiky-haired friend. "What are you looking at?" He looked in the door also. "Ohhhh, hot basketball players."

"Uruse! That's not why I'm looking."

"Oh, sure."

"Seriously! But... look at how they move. That's incredible! Hm..."

"Oi, where are you going!?"

My new friends stood outside the door as I almost absent-mindedly walked inside. The sound of sneakers squeaking against the floor became much louder as I walked closer and closer. The coach, who was cheering her players on, noticed me walking in, and she seemed kind of confused. I sort of just walked up to her and asked if there was room on the team for me to play. I had never played basketball. Heck, I never even watched it on TV! But, it just seemed like such a graceful, tactful sport... it mesmerized me somehow, and I couldn't stop myself. I wanted to learn basketball.

"Oh, uh... well, that's... hmm..." She seemed at a loss for words.

"Oi, who's she?" asked one of the players. I didn't realize everyone had noticed me wander inside the gymnasium on my own.

"Uhh..." stammered the coach.

"Ōshisama, desu," I said. "I want to play basketball."

"What kind of experience do you have?" said another player with glasses, who held the ball.

"...None."

They all deadpanned.

Yukizaki and Mitsubishi went on to their club activities and so left me in unknown territory surrounded by people I didn't know, playing a sport I knew nothing about. The coach, whose name I found was Riko Aida, had me sit down on the bench and watch the practice. She sighed and groaned, "Sure, that's fine," when I asked. She didn't know how to deal with me. I hated being a burden, but she insisted I stay, anyway. I observed as intently as I could, but I wasn't exactly sure what for. I enjoyed it, however. Every movement, every stride, every play, was so interesting to me. I could sit and watch them play all day. And they seemed like a good-quality team, too. They were very cooperative, and everyone had some kind of special talent. Did I have some kind of hidden potential like they did?

After about 15 minutes of nonstop play, the coach blew a whistle and shouted, and then everyone lined in front of her. As she stood there smiling, the boys stood there looking confused. After a few moments she yelled out, "You're all basketball heads!" None of their expressions changed.

"What does that even mean, coach?" asked a player who wore glasses.

"What I mean, is that you need to _become_ basketball-heads." Everyone looked as if a question mark floated above their cranium. Aida-san sighed. "By now, playing basketball for so long, and with such passion, I would expect you all to eat, breathe, feel, live basketball. But you don't. At least, not to the degree I need... in order for you all to stand a chance at the Southeast Asian International Basketball Championship tournament."

"International!?" exclaimed one player.

"That's incredible! Are we ready for that?" said another.

"I hope so!"

"I think we could win that!"

"Bring it on!"

Then the coach blew her whistle. "Be quiet! I'm not finished yet. Just like last year, we're going to practice as much as we can, all through the year in preparation for this championship. Similar to last year,_ there will be no off season_."

Then, we began to hear this soft pitter-patter sound. Everyone looked toward the direction it was coming from. Eventually, it grew a little louder, and then even louder, and louder. It sounded like footsteps. "Warui," called a voice from the hallway. The sound bounced off the walls and carried itself into the court. Then, the person to whom the voice belonged walked in the door. "Uwah~, I'm late again~..." Who was this guy? He was kind of scruffy-looking; he had longish, bleach-blonde hair that covered his eyebrows and ears, expressionless golden-brown eyes, and a lanky, semimuscular build.

"Oi, Ishima!" scolded the coach in this very biting, angry tone. "How many times do I have to tell you!? If you want to play on this team, you need to be _on time_ to practice! Once more, and I'll kick you out!"

"I said I was sorry, coach, it won't happen again," he said flatly, walking over to a closet to get himself a practice jersey. The coach seemed to become even more upset.

"Why are you wearing that jersey?"

Ishima looked down at the yellow jersey he had just put on and tugged at it so he could see the number. "So I can practice," he replied slowly.

"There'll be an odd number of players on one team if you join now, Ishim-aho!" she yelled.

His eyes slowly fell on me. "What about her?" he asked, pointing to me with an almost limp hand.

"Eh? Ore?" I said.

"Un."

"Uhh, well, I don't actually know how to play basketba-"

"Fine, she'll play, too!"

"O-oi!"

**Author's Note:** Similar to how Riko calls Kagami, "Baka-gami", translating to "Kagamidiot", she calls Ishima, "Ishim-aho", translating as "Ishimasshole".

Also, Chapter 3 will be up soon! Thank you for your patience! ^.^


	3. Author's Notice

A/N:

For Michiyo: More obvious Kagami x OC, OC x Kagami comes later. Right now, it's still only chapter two. Stuff is still being set up for the rest of the plot right now, as romance is not the main thing (see the genre under which the story is). Please be patient.

Also, I do realize that in the manga everything about the Winter Cup and stuff has already been written out, so, I went back and changed some things in the previous chapter, and pushed up all the dates one year. So, characters who were first-years like Kagami and Kuroko are now second years, and those who were second-years like Hyuga and Koganei are now third-years, etc. Also, I've changed the event. They're now not preparing for the Winter Cup, (since that would make no sense, especially considering the Japanese school year) but for a Southeast Asian international championship, that I'm sure doesn't actually exist in real life...

Also, I changed around a lot of stuff in Chapter 2, and I'm moving when she meets Kagami and Kuroko to chapter three, but only because she is going to remain a first year, while the others are second and third years. Two new OCs introduced in chapter three. They won't serve a huge role in the story, but they are important for some bits. The updated chapter 2 will be posted along with chapter three.

Also, I might consider putting it on a short hiatus so I can read the manga and get all my facts straight. I watched the 25 episodes of anime available twice already, so on to the manga. ;)

I think that's it. Thanks for reading and understanding! ^.^

**EDIT:** Revised Chapter 2 is up. Please ignore this.


	4. I Felt Home

**Author:** Forgive the wait, everyone! m(_ _)m I was trying to make this chapter as detailed and as sensible as I could. Everything should be completely understandable and the grammar should be flawless. *v* Anyways, enjoy! ^^

* * *

As I pushed aside hanging jerseys, I found a yellow one, to contrast that Ishima's jersey, and put it on over my shirt. For some reason, the blondie was just lingering around the doorway of the closet, peering in at me. He was kind of creepy. His light hair contrasted his black-brown eyes so much, and those eyes were always empty… there was no emotion, no thought, nothing. Just the black-brown color of those dull eyes. "Nande?" I asked him.

"Oh, iie. I'm just waiting on you," he replied with that soft, slow tone of his.

"No need."

I heard him mumble under his breath, "Tch, ruuude~."

"Are you first-years ready yet?" asked the coach.

"Hai~."

"Well, hurry up then!"

Quickly, the coach told me everyone's name, I told everyone else my name, and she told me where to stand. I had no idea what was really happening so I just went with the flow. There had to be some kind of pattern in basketball that I could pick up; I just had to be watchful.

I struggled to remember which name belonged to who, but, as Ishima and I were being added to the game, they reset the score, and everyone assumed their starting positions, the coach once again blew her pink whistle, threw the ball in the air, and it was game on. The opposing team that consisted of the third years and Ishima got the ball first, and quickly, they started passing the ball around. Our team ran toward where Hyūga-senpai, the glasses-wearing player who currently had the ball, was running, (though not very quickly), and so I did as well. What was going on? Everyone was moving so fast, I could hardly keep up mentally, with how fast everyone moved. We tried to stop Hyūga-senpai, but then he passed the ball to Koganei-senpai, who shot from in between the center and three-point lines. It went in, scoring three points for their team. Quickly afterwards, our team, that consisted of the second years and me, caught the rebound. The tall one with red hair who delivered me my dropped phone—Kagami-senpai—was the one who got it, and he proceeded to dribble the ball furiously to the other side of the court as the rest of us kept close to our marks. (My mark was Mitobe-senpai, but that's not really important right now.) I couldn't believe I was keeping up with these high school boys, to say the least, and it even appeared as if I was effectively hindering him. As Kagami-senpai came up right underneath the hoop, it looked as if he would dunk the ball in as he jumped up, but instead he threw it over his shoulder from behind, and it sailed cleanly through the hoop. Two points for our team.

"Oi, Ōshisama-chan," called someone. The voice sounded familiar. I looked over my left shoulder, and I saw Kagami-senpai. "You're doing really well for someone who's never played basketball before," he declared. His face didn't seem particularly cheerful, but it seemed as if he wasn't smiling on purpose. "Keep it up." Those simple words of encouragement made me happy. I smiled at him.

"Arigatou, Senpai!" He gave a small smirk and chuckled. Soon, the ball was in the opposing team's hands again, this time it bounced by Izuki-senpai's side. But then suddenly the ball flew out of his hands, and flew across the court into Furihata's hands, who was right by the hoop, and we scored two more points.

"Kuroko, that bastard," I heard Hyūga mumble. "You never cease to amaze."

Hah? Kuroko-senpai? I don't remember the coach saying that name… who was he? More importantly, _where_ was he? And how on earth did the basketball get from Izuki-senpai to the hoop so quickly?

"You seem confused," said a voice from right beside my ear. I jumped and let out a low yelp. Not many people could get either of those reactions out of me, for I am not one to flinch.

"Ah, e-eh, sort of," I stammered. Then it clicked. "Oh, you're Kuroko-senpai."

"Hai."

"Suimasendesh'ta!" I exclaimed, bowing. "I didn't mean to overlook you. I hardly even realized you were here."

"That's fine. I get that a lot." When he paused, I smiled at him, and he half-smiled. He seemed like a nice guy, this Kuroko. "But anyway," he continued, beginning to jog away, "you're doing great. Keep doing what you're doing." I nodded, and quickly began to run with my team again.

The senpais had switched their defense method now; there every man had a mark all over the court; man-to-man. I found myself with the ball, up against Mitobe-senpai once more, who stretched out his arms and legs, waiting for me to make a mistake so he could steal the ball from me. However, I did not plan on making a mistake. Instead, since none of my teammates were free, I decided to draw attention to myself by charging at the hoop on my own. I ricocheted the ball off the floor between Mitobe-senpai's legs, and then I followed the ball's course by tumble-rolling behind its path. Standing on my two feet again with the ball in my hands, within a second I saw the others coming to get me. I sprinted to the hoop, dribbling all the way, and as the third year senpais left their marks unattended to stop me, I faked to the right, spun, and then passed the ball to Tsuchida-senpai, who made a three-point shot from just behind the line.

"I think you might be some kind of good luck charm," reported Tsuchida-senpai soon after he made his successful three-pointer.

I smiled. "Why's that?"

"I never make threes, and when I do, they never go in. This may be practice, but I feel proud of myself!"

The rest of the mini-game went on similarly to this. I had a small part or two in important plays that earned us three points and dramatic dunks on Kagami-senpai's part. It was fun being with all these boys playing basketball and having a good time with friendly competition, and I genuinely enjoyed myself, like I never had before. Strangely, however, in my opinion, for each play I helped make, there was one of them who always said something positive about my gameplay, and it helped my confidence. I also noticed that they praised and criticized Ishima as well. We were the only first year basketball players this year, it seemed, so our senpais did a lot to help us.

I have to admit, I didn't think our team would win. The third year senpais are amazingly strong, and they've had more time to polish their skill. However, Kagami-senpai and Kuroko-senpai on our team seemed to compensate, and then some, for that. All game, it could've gone to anyone, but ultimately, it was us who came up victorious. I thrust my fists in the air and shouted, "Yosha~!" for no reason except my happiness. I never win at anything. And now, I could win, but not just on my own, or by my own efforts; I could win, _together_, with _my_ teammates, and through the teamwork _we all_ helped create. I felt strangely confident, and I beamed from ear to ear. I don't think those boys would ever understand what I felt if I told them, (they all were giving me funny looks since it was only a practice mini-game), but, I hoped someday, they would know what this did for me; what I felt in this small moment of triumph.

I felt home.

When we were declared winners, however, the coach promptly blew her whistle twice, and everyone walked toward the locker room to get water and towels to dry up their sweat. Ishima and I had sense enough to do the same, since it appeared as if practice was not yet over, but before we could, the coach had called us over to where she was, so she could address us.

"Ishima-kun, you're doing better," she said, addressing my equal prior to myself. "I see you did stay and use the training menu I prepared for you after all."

"Hai. Mochiron desu."

"Ōshisama…" she began. During her pause she only looked me sternly in the eye. Did I do something wrong? Am I in trouble? I felt uneasy. Her eyes were scary and piercing. I could feel them digging into my head and stealing my soul—"You've never played basketball before?" she asked suddenly, interrupting my train of thought.

"Iie," I replied, shaking my head. I still felt nervous, especially when she paused again, closed her eyes and appeared to be pondering something.

"It's possible," she began painfully slowly, "that you have the greatest potential out of all of us on this court." I was completely and utterly baffled at her words. My eyes were bulging, I just knew it.

"Eh? Ore?"

"Eeeeehhhhh!?" yelled all the other boys on the court. "Her!? How!?"

"You need a lot of conditioning, polishing and refining," she continued with her arms crossed, "but if you can play that well without any prior experience at all, then we may as well have some kind of prodigy on our hands. As your coach, I will do my very best to make sure you can rise to your full potential, but you need to work with me. Are you willing to work to be good at this game, Ōshisama-chan?"

I didn't have to think about it, even for a second. "Hai!" I exclaimed with a smile on my face. She smiled as well.

"Yosh'. I'll need you to fill out some official forms and take a physical assessment after we're all done here. But for now…" she paused again, (what is with her and dramatic pausing?) and then said, "Let's go out for ice cream!"

**~Omniscient POV~**

"Coach," said Hyūga, holding a double scoop of his favorite flavor wrapped in a waffle cone, "why the sudden urge to eat ice cream?" He seemed upset somehow, and he licked at the ice cream as if it might be poisoned.

"No reason," she said grinning and scooping from a waffle bowl. "Well… I guess I felt like you guys needed a reward of some kind."

"A reward? Seriously?"

"And also, I think it's a good way for Ishima and Ōshisama to socialize with us. It must be awkward for them being the only first years in the basketball club."

"Yeah, I guess I can see that. Not many people were interested in joining this year…" He paused to lick his ice cream cone. "Ōshisama-chan's really enthusiastic though; she kind of reminds me of Kagami when he joined last year." Hyūga began to smile at the memory of him bringing Koganei to himself and the coach by the collar.

"Yeah. She has that kind of fire in her, but she's much more cheerful than intense about it, unlike Kagami was. I think she's a good addition to the team. Who knows," said Riko as she glanced over at Ōshisama and took a bite of her ice cream. "Maybe she could be the spark that sets us all aflame again."

Riko wasn't about to deny it, and Hyūga was too observant not to see it. They were beginning to drift apart; all of them were. The closest among them were Kagami and Kuroko, but their closeness did nothing to bind the others. As they got older, found new interests and started thinking about college and university, and what they really wanted to do with their lives; it was that kind of stuff that was slowly driving a wedge between them all. Hyūga knew, probably better than anyone, what the coach meant by what she said. Young, excited, fiery, Ōshisama Natari-chan, who joined the club on a spark of passion that never was ignited in her before, was their last chance; the last chance to enjoy the school year, and grow closer because of it, instead of growing farther apart. She was the missing link in all of this, and if she could bind them all together somehow, so that they would never, in heart, or in friendship, separate from each other, then they all would owe her everything. The basketball club, and the members therein, meant a great deal to them all. How could they mean anything to each other when instead of relying on one another, they became completely independent? And how could they be a team without trust?

The coach and her captain watched the others as they joked and laughed, and scolded Izuki for making corny puns. This was the last of it; the last genuine friendship they would share; if nobody did anything about it, that is. If something wasn't done soon—no, _now_—this fellowship would dissolve into nothingness. When the third years left for higher education, there would be such a big gap in the Seirin Basketball Club, who knows if the team could ever fully recover. It threatened to murder the one thing they all loved, and neither of them could stand it one bit.

**~ Ōshisama's POV~**

I was so tired. How could I be so tired? It was a mini-game. Gah, I'm so weak. I rubbed my back and shoulder and neck muscles; they ached. My body had no stamina, and was not strong enough to do any of the activity I had performed that day. Well, at least I accomplished something. The pain was worth it to be with people with whom I could enjoy myself.

As I climbed the stairs to get onto the schoolbus for the ride home, I noticed Kagami-senpai sitting by himself toward the back. He just gazed absent-mindedly out the window, as if nothing mattered. He looked kind of worn out, too. I wanted to go talk to him, but was that weird? Mm… I guess I was going to find out. "Domo, Senpai," I greeted. He turned his head to the direction of the voice, and then saw me.

"Oh, Ōshisama-chan," he said. He was leaning on his fist, but when he greeted me, he sat up in his chair. "Uh, what do you want?"

Shimata! I don't have a reason to come and talk to him… oh, think fast! I went into the row in front of him, set my backpack beside me, and sat on my knees to face him. "Uh, well, I forgot your name, and I think I should probably know that since we'll be practicing together, now," I said coolly. I could just feel the horns protruding from the top of my head. I'm such a good liar.

"Oh, I see." He kind of paused and looked at me firmly. Was I supposed to avert my gaze? "Kagami Taiga."

Taiga; so _that_ was his first name. I smiled at it. "Do you… remember me?"

"…are you stupid? Of course, you were just at practice," he said harshly.

"I mean from before that!"

He slumped and thought for a moment. He just looked at me, and I did my best trying not to blush. I wasn't going to deny that I thought he was good-looking, although, as long as we're being honest here, his personality wasn't too welcoming. "Oh, you're that girl whose phone I found in assembly this morning," he recollected.

"Yep, that's me." I smiled; or, tried to.

"You know, I've been wondering about your last name… if you're American, why is your name Japanese?"

"Oh, I was adopted by a man who lives here in Tokyo."

"O-oh…"

"How did you know I was American?"

Kagami-senpai smirked. "I spent a lot of time in America, so I think I can pick an American out from a crowd of other foreigners," he explained. "Excitable and big on ice cream, haha."

I laughed. "How come you were in America?"

"Well, my parents travel a lot for their jobs and stuff, but mostly it was for basketball training in middle school. They're still working overseas there, so right now I live by myself."

"Oh, so you're a basketball-head, then, huh?" I smirked playfully. He tried not to do the same, but I heard him emit a small chuckle. "So, are you a regular on Seirin, now?"

"Yeah, as a power forward." Not that I knew what that was. "We're getting ready for an international tournament, as you heard the coach talk about today."

"Yeah, I remember she said that; it sounds really exciting."

"Oh, it is! And if the Inter-High was anything, it was challenging! You can imagine the difficulty an international championship would be on, then! All of the teams who make it to the championship finals must be strong on an international level. It fires me up when we're up against opponents who're stronger than us, because it makes it that much more thrilling when we win!"

As he explained more to me about basketball, and his past experience with powerful players, and the tournament that was coming up, and how the elimination process worked, etc., I saw his eyes light up and his face glowed with excitement and enthusiasm. His smile was of pure joy. He absolutely loved basketball. I admired his passion, and it made him that much more attractive. And that's when an extremely soft, unexpected voice came up and said, "Domo."

Kagami and I jumped ten feet in the air as we screamed.

"Kuroko!" scolded Kagami. "Would you quit appearing so suddenly like that!? It's creepy!"

"Suimasen," Kuroko-senpai replied. Kuroko had blue hair and eyes, he was a bit taller than me, and he was very reserved and soft-spoken. His presence was severely nonexistent. It was actually scary, now that I gave it some thought. He and I shared a few seconds of eye contact as he just stood there and blinked at me. "Konbanwa, Ōshisama-chan," he said to me. "Konbanwa, Kagami-kun," he said to the redhead.

"Uruse na!" exclaimed Kagami. Then he grunted. "Konbanwa…"

"I hope you don't mind that I overheard your conversation," he continued. "I didn't know you were from America, Ōshisama-chan. I've never met anyone who was from there before, so I thought it was interesting meeting you. Your Japanese is very good, by the way. Also, I realize today was your first day, so, I hope you'll enjoy attending Seirin. Ganbarimasu." I smiled.

"Arigatou, Kuroko-senpai!" Then my phone started vibrating in my pocket. "Eh?" I picked it up, and saw Yukizaki on the caller ID. "Um, excuse me please, I have to answer this," I said. "Hai?"

"OI, NANDE SORE!?" There was Yukizaki, screaming at me through the phone. I held the phone about a foot away from my ear so I wouldn't go deaf. "Where were you!? How come you didn't call me, or even text me!?"

"Warui, warui," I said. "Practice went on longer than I expected, and afterward, we went out for ice cream," I explained pointedly, in a mostly flat voice. I was exhausted from the game. I need to build more stamina. It's ridiculous how tired I am right now. "I just didn't wanna bother you guys."

"You don't bother us, Ōshisama-chan! We were worried about you!"

"Suimasen."

"You should know better than to leave your friends hanging! I know nothing happened to you, but what if something did, you know!?"

"Wakatta, wakatta."

"Just don't ever do that!"

"I won't."

Suddenly her tone changed from angry to cheerful, like her own self. She's very, uh, emotionally versatile. "Oh, did you ever get to the band club yesterday?"

Chikusho. _That's_ what I forgot. Whatever, I'll get to it tomorrow.

"Uh, no, I didn't. I knew I forgot something."

"Oh, well, tomorrow's a fresh start! Don't forget again!"

"I won't."

"Well, I have to go now, Ōshisama-chan, so I'll see you tomorrow! Text me when you get home."

"Right. See ya." I hung up before sighing and shoving my phone back into my pocket. I returned my attention to my senpais. "Sorry about that," I said, hoping they would be understanding.

"It's fine," said Kagami. "Who was that, anyway?"

"A friend I made."

"Oh, you've made friends already?" asked Kagami. He seemed surprised somehow.

"Of course Ōshisama-chan would have made friends by now," remarked Kuroko. "She is a very nice girl, and doesn't look down on people on her first day of high school." Kagami's face suddenly became angry.

"Uruse!" I giggled at Kagami's reaction. He was such a hothead! Well, they do say that about redheads, don't they? "Oi, what are you laughing at?" I decided to make him figure it out.

Smirking, I said, "Oh, nothing."

"Oi!"

I don't think he ever did figure out why I was laughing.

"Oyasumin'nasai! See you guys at practice tomorrow!" I called to the moving bus, waving as it drove away.

"Oyasumin'nasai mo," said Kuroko, only his blue eyes and hair visible beside his waving hand.

"Oyasumi!" called Kagami, giving me one wave with a big hand.

I smiled as I watched the yellow bus until it was completely out of sight. As I turned and walked away, toward the front entrance of the apartment building in which I lived, I sighed and felt so happy and content with my circumstances. My biological parents were both gone, but I lived in a nice town, surrounded by nice people who want nothing more than to welcome me here. I had never felt more at home.

When I reached 3057, I opened the door, and found Ōshisama-san sitting on a couch reading a book. He looked up and adjusted his glasses when he heard me come inside. "Tadaima!" I called, taking off my shoes and putting my feet into my slippers.

"Okairi," he replied, watching me as I dragged my backpack behind me and sat on the couch beside him. "How was your first day?" he asked me in English.

"It was great! I made friends in my class, and I joined the basketball club," I explained cheerfully, beaming from ear to ear. I was so happy, not even the crapload of homework I had could make me sad! I sighed once before continuing. "Everyone's so nice, and welcoming. It amazed me how at home I felt being surrounded by them."

His eyes softened and his expression became warm as I spoke. "I'm very happy you had nice time at schooru," he said, grinning. "You said basuke… I didn't know you riked sports."

"Neither did I." I must've made some kind of face just then, because when I said that, we both just starting laughing and laughing.

"What kind of guys are in se crub?"

"Strong guys. They're in Japan's top 4 basketball teams!"

He made a smirk, and the glint in his eye changed. "…attractive guys?"

When he said that, immediately Kagami-senpai sprung into my mind, and I felt my face warm. "…maybe…" He bellowed in laughter and patted my shoulder. "I should probabry reave you to your homework. Ganbatte."

**Author:** Please take notice of the now-blossoming OC x Kagami in this chapter. ;) There'll be more in future chapters. Hope you liked! I appreciate feedback, guys! ^^


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